4 ms·

Where's the "buy" link? Maybe I'm just missing it for this one in particular, but I really dislike it when companies hide the price, and don't offer an immedia

by tibbon 9y ago

Where's the "buy" link? Maybe I'm just missing it for this one in particular, but I really dislike it when companies hide the price, and don't offer an immediate way to purchase. I see one of them has a price listed, and the other ones don't.

makmanalp 9y ago
With non-consumer electronics companies, good luck. Usually you have to go through a distributor. Also I don't think the new VLS-128 is shipping to most normal people yet - it's not on their website and the article mentions that it's a preview. Maybe the title is a bit misleading.
jacquesm 9y ago
I do not think you would be able to get to their MOQ. This is not a consumer device shipped one piece at the time. Your best bet would be to have a credible story about your future needs because you are in the process of developing a self driving car or are part of a university group doing research and asking for a sample. Though at a guess the ones they will make in the near future will all be earmarked for some particular recipient.
- ryanj96 9y ago
  Good luck with that. I am a university student and they told our group that the puck was the cheapest model and would not give us prices on the other ones.
usrusr 9y ago
Sales departments everywhere will fight tooth and nail to defend their disproportional power over not only volume but also margin. Who would they be, if they would only be offering subtle personal favors for orders, and never receive any for favorable conditions? It's a matter of balance! Sorry for my sarcasm, I do understand that outside of consumer goods and commodities, price determination is basically unsolved. But I stand to my point: any possible solution that undermines the grandeur of sales departments will be met with hostility.
- notatoad 9y ago
  Not just sales departments, purchasing departments too. If engineers could just click a button and order the parts they needed at a known price, how would purcahsers collect those perks that the sales people have to offer?
dllu 9y ago
The Velodyne VLP-32A Ultra Puck was announced in April 2016 [0] and is only starting to appear on GM Cruise Automation cars since a few weeks ago. There's still no way for the vast majority of people to buy it yet. Likewise, for the VLS-128, I expect quite some time from announcement until the product starts shipping at scale. [0] http://velodynelidar.com/docs/news/Velodyne%20LiDAR%20Announces%20ULTRA%20Puck%20VLP-32A,%20High%20Definition%20Real-Time%203D%20LiDAR%20Sensor%20for%20the%20Automotive%20Market.pdf http://velodynelidar.com/docs/news/Velodyne%20LiDAR%20Announ...
ska 9y ago
This isn't a consumer device.
- tibbon 9y ago
  Sure... but if I've got the money and really like building robots (pretend I'm on the Megabots team or something) why not enable me to buy 1-2 of them? Money is money right?
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - TYPE_FASTER 9y ago
    If you're doing that, your best bet is to talk to somebody like AutonomouStuff: https://autonomoustuff.com/ https://autonomoustuff.com/ They have a relationship with all the vendors, and can help figure out which sensor and vendor to use. If you really really want a Velodyne unit, you might be able to get a loaner of the cheaper ones by calling them and talking to somebody, not so sure about the VLP-64 or new 128 as those go for north of $50-70k. The cheapest lidar Velodyne makes goes for close to $10k, so you're still probably not going to be able click to buy.
    - myself248 9y ago
      And this space REALLY needs competition. I've found pricing elsewhere on a FEW of the items AS carries, and their markup is around 400%. Not a typo.
  - tyingq 9y ago
    I used to sell something kind of similar...high cost, niche electronics. We didn't make it easier for hobbyists because they would often want to return the item after playing around. Then we couldn't sell it as a new item. The depreciation hit was significant. The hobbyists were also a drain on support time, disproportionate to other customers. Once the market settled, and the devices were closer to commodity prices, and our knowledge base was in better shape, we opened back up to them.

by tibbon 9y ago

makmanalp 9y ago

With non-consumer electronics companies, good luck. Usually you have to go through a distributor. Also I don't think the new VLS-128 is shipping to most normal people yet - it's not on their website and the article mentions that it's a preview. Maybe the title is a bit misleading.

jacquesm 9y ago

I do not think you would be able to get to their MOQ. This is not a consumer device shipped one piece at the time. Your best bet would be to have a credible story about your future needs because you are in the process of developing a self driving car or are part of a university group doing research and asking for a sample. Though at a guess the ones they will make in the near future will all be earmarked for some particular recipient.

ryanj96 9y ago
Good luck with that. I am a university student and they told our group that the puck was the cheapest model and would not give us prices on the other ones.

usrusr 9y ago

Sales departments everywhere will fight tooth and nail to defend their disproportional power over not only volume but also margin. Who would they be, if they would only be offering subtle personal favors for orders, and never receive any for favorable conditions? It's a matter of balance! Sorry for my sarcasm, I do understand that outside of consumer goods and commodities, price determination is basically unsolved. But I stand to my point: any possible solution that undermines the grandeur of sales departments will be met with hostility.

notatoad 9y ago
Not just sales departments, purchasing departments too. If engineers could just click a button and order the parts they needed at a known price, how would purcahsers collect those perks that the sales people have to offer?

dllu 9y ago

The Velodyne VLP-32A Ultra Puck was announced in April 2016 [0] and is only starting to appear on GM Cruise Automation cars since a few weeks ago. There's still no way for the vast majority of people to buy it yet. Likewise, for the VLS-128, I expect quite some time from announcement until the product starts shipping at scale. [0] http://velodynelidar.com/docs/news/Velodyne%20LiDAR%20Announces%20ULTRA%20Puck%20VLP-32A,%20High%20Definition%20Real-Time%203D%20LiDAR%20Sensor%20for%20the%20Automotive%20Market.pdf http://velodynelidar.com/docs/news/Velodyne%20LiDAR%20Announ...

ska 9y ago

This isn't a consumer device.

tibbon 9y ago
Sure... but if I've got the money and really like building robots (pretend I'm on the Megabots team or something) why not enable me to buy 1-2 of them? Money is money right?
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- TYPE_FASTER 9y ago
  If you're doing that, your best bet is to talk to somebody like AutonomouStuff: https://autonomoustuff.com/ https://autonomoustuff.com/ They have a relationship with all the vendors, and can help figure out which sensor and vendor to use. If you really really want a Velodyne unit, you might be able to get a loaner of the cheaper ones by calling them and talking to somebody, not so sure about the VLP-64 or new 128 as those go for north of $50-70k. The cheapest lidar Velodyne makes goes for close to $10k, so you're still probably not going to be able click to buy.
  - myself248 9y ago
    And this space REALLY needs competition. I've found pricing elsewhere on a FEW of the items AS carries, and their markup is around 400%. Not a typo.
- tyingq 9y ago
  I used to sell something kind of similar...high cost, niche electronics. We didn't make it easier for hobbyists because they would often want to return the item after playing around. Then we couldn't sell it as a new item. The depreciation hit was significant. The hobbyists were also a drain on support time, disproportionate to other customers. Once the market settled, and the devices were closer to commodity prices, and our knowledge base was in better shape, we opened back up to them.